Zotac GTX280 AMP! Edition Review

Introduction:

Over just this past year, it's interesting to see how affordable high end video cards have become. I remember looking on some websites a few years back and finding some of the top end video cards priced close to a thousand dollars! Today, the best single graphics card from Nvidia that is available to consumers is the GTX280. How much better is the GTX280 than the previous-best 9800 class of Nvidia graphics cards? With this card being priced in between four and five hundred dollars, this card is definitely not for the average Joe. However, there are many users who need (= want) to have the best video card available. So if you're looking for the absolute single best video card available right now, read on to see if the GTX280 is the card you've been waiting for.

The particular GTX280 that I'll be testing today is manufactured by Zotac. This video card is pre-overclocked and features 1GB of 512-bit GDDR3 memory. Zotac specifies this card is being part of their "AMP!" product line which is a line dedicated essentially to pre-overclocked video cards. How will this Zotac 280GTX AMP! Edition video card perform against some of the best video cards from nVidia's nemisis, ATi? How will Zotac's latest creation fare while being pushed to the extreme? Join me as I thoroughly examine the Zotac 280GTX AMP! Edition video card.

Closer Look:

The Zotac 280GTX AMP! Edition comes shipped in a yellow box with a Fire breathing dragon on the front panel. On the top right corner of the box, you'll see some of the key features that separate this Zotac card from a lot of the other video cards out on the market today. One of the things that stands out is the "Extended Warranty " sticker. The back of the box breaks down some important features as well as multiple languages listing out what is included in the box for international users.

Inside the outer sleeve is the box that holds the Zotac GTX280. Opening this up revels the closed cell foam used to secure the card and bundled accessories during shipping. The card was removed with some effort so it definitely would not move on during the cross coutry trip to get to your door. Under the foam is where the documentation and game disk are kept.

Included with the Zotac 280GTX AMP! Edition is a driver CD, quick installation guide, user's manual, a DVI to D-Sub converter,an HDMI to DVI adapter, two power converters (one for 6-pin power cable and one for 8-pin power cable), an HDTV breakout cable, and the game "Racedriver GRID". The DVI to HDMI adapter and a current game are real pluses to this package.

Now that we've got the Zotac 280GTX AMP! Edition video card out of the box, let's take a closer look at it.